


After Conclusion

by leandra1709



Category: Elfen Lied
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-13 23:35:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28911687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leandra1709/pseuds/leandra1709
Summary: A continuation of the ending to the manga. Mayu reunites with Bando and wants him to know her feelings. Light fluff.
Relationships: Mayu/Bando
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	After Conclusion

**Author's Note:**

> I finished reading the manga and absolutely loved Mayu and Bando's dynamic. I wanted to see more of their future together but it only showed him seeing her again at the beach. So I decided to continue it and it's pure self-indulgence.

The sun beat down on the girl as she carried a plastic bag in one hand, picking up trash in the other. It had become a daily routine for her to head to the beach and pick up trash. It was what he did every day, after all.

Mayu picked up one final piece and tossed it in her bag before wiping sweat from her forehead, "Phew, I think it's cleaner now."

She dropped the bag next to her feet and looked out across the ocean. It was beautiful as always, but she never really appreciated it until she had decided to make this a ritual. The breeze was cool and the water sparkled from the sunlight. She could understand now why he stayed here.

Her eyes cast downward, a bittersweet smile on her face. She could feel a heaviness in her chest and her eyes growing warm from tears, "If he were here right now, I wonder what he would say. Would he praise me?" It had been several months since the last time she saw him alive. He had been torn apart by Lucy on this very beach. That, after he had saved her and Nana from being raped by that horrible man.

She stayed silent for a moment, thinking. Her heart ached for him. She told him how she felt, she had even kissed him. But she never found out his feelings for her. A regret she would probably carry for the rest of her life.

Knowing him... She shook her head and chuckled softly, "Nah, he'd probably say something like, 'It's still the same damn, dirty sea.'" She wiped the tears from her eyes before a voice made her freeze.

"It's still the same damn, dirty sea... but you did your best, didn't you?"

Mayu's heart began racing as she recognized the voice. She whirled around as his footsteps brought him closer to her.

Bando was standing with the sun behind him, casting a shadow on his form. He had more prosthetics at this point, but Mayu could still recognize him. Tears fell from her eyes.

He smirked, "Why are you acting so surprised, dummy? Didn't I tell you before that I could never die?"

Before responding, she ran towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest. A heavy sob escaped her throat and she expected him to push her away, but he stroked her hair instead.

"Hey, you didn't really think I'd die, did you?" His tone was sarcastic but his voice was soft.

"I-I..." she hiccupped, rubbing the tears from her face into his shirt. She took a deep breath and inhaled his scent. She never noticed before but he had a comforting smell to him. It felt familiar, probably from the memories of him from so long ago.

Her hands moved to the front of her chest and grasped his shirt, "I thought... I'd never see you again."

He chuckled and patted her head, "Nah, we got unfinished business and I couldn't leave you alone. Gotta make sure nothin' bad happens to you." His hands went behind her back and pulled her closer, giving a true embrace.

Mayu let out a soft sigh and rubbed her face into his shirt a bit more. She wanted to stay like that but became aware of their physical contact and felt her face grow warm.

Bando gave her a final squeeze before saying, "You can let go now, I'm not going anywhere."

She felt a tiny bit of disappointment in her heart and stepped back slightly, "S-Sorry..."

He shook his head, "Don't be sorry, it's just, uh," he cleared his throat and glanced towards the street, "we got some onlookers. Probably wondering what a girl like you is doing with someone like me."

Mayu looked where he was looking at and saw a couple of curious bypassers. Even though she and Bando were looking directly at them, the people continued to stare. She could tell it got on his nerves before he went off on them.

"What the fuck you lookin' at, huh?! What, a girl like her can't be friends with someone like me?! Get the fuck outta here before I put a bullet in your head!" His hand went into his jacket like he was going to pull a gun on them. This caused them to dissipate very quickly.

"Um," Mayu held a hand to her chest, "should we go somewhere else?"

He shrugged and stuck a thumb out towards them, "Nah, they probably won't come back. I mean unless you want to go somewhere else."

Her fingers touched tips lightly and she mumbled, "Maybe..."

Bando seemed to pick up on her mood, "Let's go back to that shitty shack of mine. We can talk there without worrying about the peanut gallery."

The blunt tone in his voice brought up memories of all the times they had spent together. It reminded her of how far they'd come in terms of bonding. She giggled and nodded.

His shack was still standing, Mayu hadn't been able to bring herself to take it down and no one else ever touched the beach. She had cleaned up the inside though, either just in case he ever returned or as an altar to his memory.

Bando peeked inside then turned to Mayu, "Damn, you even cleaned it up for me?"

Eyes cast down again, she smiled and nodded. He seemed genuinely happy and had a serious tone.

"Hey, look at me."

Her heart felt like it stopped and she felt her cheeks growing red. She wondered what he wanted her to look up for. Maybe he was finally going to tell her how he felt...? She slowly raised her eyes until they met with his eyes. He had taken off his sunglasses and had a solemn look on his face.

"Thanks. For keeping this place clean for me. It would have been a pain in the ass to come back to a disaster."

"O-Oh... Yeah, no problem..."

A bit abruptly, he sat down in the sand in front of the shack. Mayu froze for a moment before taking a seat next to him. She wondered what was on his mind.

Bando sighed before putting his sunglasses back on, "It must have been hard for you. Sorry I wasn't there."

"Huh? W-Wait, why are you sorry? You're the one who got torn in half!"

"I'm used to shit like that. I already had my arm torn off and my eyes gouged out. Comes with the job, I guess."

She stared at him, unable to speak. He looked at her before chuckling, "At least it's all over now."

She nodded and moved closer to him. She saw his eyes dart in her direction, but he didn't say anything or move away. Maybe it was selfish, but she took this as an invitation to lean against him. Heart racing, she leaned until her head was touching his arm.

Normally she was scared of physical contact, due to the abuse from her stepfather, but she felt close to Bando. He had protected her multiple times in the past and she finally saw the soft side of him that was hidden by his shell. She decided to just ask him.

"Do you... remember the last conversation we had...?"

His eyes were facing straight toward the ocean, no expression on his face, "...Yeah."

No rejection yet, so she wrapped her arms around his arm closest to him, "I... want to be with you..."

She felt him tense up slightly and loosened her grip, watching his face. He had no emotion at first, then sighed. He looked at her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"I know how you feel, but you're still a kid."

It felt like she was being stabbed with a knife. She felt her face turn red and tears start to form. Stupid. How stupid was she? Why did she decide to say something so stupid? She wished she had just shut up and never told him anything.

"I don't want an unhealthy relationship with you. I want you to grow up normal."

How mortifying. She felt like a huge idiot. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"I'll still be here for you. We can still meet up and chat. Hell, I'll be more active as your friend."

A friend. That's what she should have left it at. Why did she ever think he might feel the same way...?

"But right now, you're too young for me. You're a great girl. If you still want to be with me when you're older, then we can try it out."

This caught her off guard. So it wasn't her that was the problem... just her age. Even though she wanted to argue, she knew he was right.

"I mean, you know a part of me. Not all of me. You probably won't like most of what you see."

Mayu shook her head, "I've already seen a bad side of you. Remember when you got mad that I knew Nyu?"

"Heh, true. Sorry about that though," he sounded sheepish, a rare tone of voice. She could tell he really meant it.

"But even after that, I still came to see you."

"Yeah, you're a stubborn one. Even worse than me."

They sat side-by-side in silence for a moment. Mayu's heart was a mixture of emotions. She felt disappointed, hopeful, relief, it all swirled around in her head. At least he was back. She could keep spending time with him and getting to know him better. And maybe when she was older...

Bando let out a groan, "I guess there's still one favor I owe you."

"Huh? Wh-"

Before she could ask, his hand gripped her chin and turned her face towards his. She instinctively closed her eyes and felt his mouth press against hers. It felt like a jolt of electricity ran through her body, and she relaxed her body, focusing all of her efforts into her lips. They stayed together for a few seconds before he pulled away. She slowly opened her eyes, feeling a bit dazed.

He cast his eyes away from her and seemed flustered, "You know, that... thing you gave me before. I figured I owed you one back."

She touched her mouth softly with her fingers and smiled, then laughed softly. This seemed to fluster him even more.

"Wh-What are you laughing about, idiot? Does it make me look like a loser or something?"

"No, I'm just... happy."

"...Yeah, me too. Glad I have someone to come back to who missed me."

She looked at him, taking in his appearance. There was so much she liked about him. He had a foul mouth and a bad attitude, but she got to see his heart. And hopefully, they would create new memories together.

"Alright, you better get home. Go take care of that dog of yours so I can get my home set up again."

"I can help-"

He cut her off and shook his head, "Nah, gotta have some time to myself. I'll see you later though."

She reluctantly stood and bowed before walking away slowly. She turned and glanced back at him, to which he gave a small wave. She smiled and continued walking home, eventually disappearing from sight.

Bando sat down and grasped a handful of sand, letting it fall from his fingers, "Ah, Christ. It had to be her, huh?"

He never thought he'd ever have someone to care about him, especially not her. The first time he saw her, she was just another face. But now, she was probably the most important person in his life.

"Well, hopefully, I don't fuck this up. We'll see if she still likes me after a few years." He had a wry smile on his face. He survived just to see her again, and he hoped they'd have a lot more time on this earth together. He was curious what the future would bring.

"Guess we'll find out."


End file.
